Improvement in meat-choppers



2 OCZ/-L MARTIN L. EDWARDS.

lmprovement in Meat Cutter.

No. H 7,999. Patemed Augm 15, 1871l` min 653 es.- fiwen tor:

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. 721.1' c dfomzy for a purpose to be presently described.

U rn S'I'Afrns MARTIN L. EDWARDS, OF SALEM, OHIO.

IMPROVEMENT IN MEAT-cHoPPE'Rs.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 117,999, dated August 15, 1871.

To all whom it may conccrn:

Be it known that I, MARTIN L. EDwARDs, of Salem, in the county of' Golumbiana and State of Ohio, have iuvented certain new and useful Improvements in Meat and Vegetable Outters, of which the following is a specification:

My invention relates to machines for chopping meat and vegetables for domestic use or for butchers7 manufacturing purposes; and the said invention has for its object the production of a simple and durable machine, with certain new features of construction and arrangement, among which is the manner of holding, centering, and rendering the cutting-block removable-Without interfering With the cutter-stock-atpleasure in devices for producing a variable feed of the cutting-block; and in the Construction of the cutterblock and its supporting cellular metallic web, so as to avoid Warping or unevenness of the cuttin g surface thereof.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 represents a side clevation of a machine embracing my invention. Fig. 2represents afront elevation of the same. Fie'. 3 represents a top view of the same. Fig. 4. represents a cross-section of the cutting-block and its support-ing cellular metallic web. Fig. 5 represents the guide for the cutterarm, and Fig. (i a top view of the cast-iron web or grating of the hopper-block with the blocks removed.

Upon one end of a table, A, I arrange a cutting-block, B, on which the material to be chopped is placed. This block is constructed in sections and secured to a metallic web, O, in a manner and Itv is Surrounded by a cylindrical case, I), which forms the hopper for the article to be cut. It is supported upon the table by ahorizontal ratchet feed- Wheel, E, and centered and held in position by an annular rim or flange, a, formed upon the bottom of said ratchet-Wheel, made to fit and project Within an annular opening, b, thus constituting a fixed axis for the hopper in the table, as more clearly shown in Figs. 1,2, and 4t of the drawing, a portion of the table being shown in section for this purpose in Fig. 4. This method of centering and securing the hopper Within a circular opening, allows it to be easily removed therefrom to empty the hopper, by simply lifting the front side of the hopper so as to clear the annular rim a from the guide or axis-opening b in the table, 'and this tilting also serves to clear the hopper from the nest of cutters When the latter is elevatcd to its highest point. In this way the hopper can be removed from beneath the cutters and replaced within its central guide-openingl in the table with facility. The cutters F are carried by a stock consisting of a cross-head, G, and a series of semieircular arms, c, to the ends of Which the cutters F are secured by screw-bolts d, While the stock G is secured to the curved end of an arm, H, which is pivoted to a standard, I, at the rear end of the table, so as to impa-rt, when vibrated, a vertically reciprocating motion to the knives within the hopper and'upon the feeding-block. The knives may extend entirely across the feeding-block, but it is believed more economical and satisfactory to have them extend from the diameter line to the circumference of the feed-block, as shown in Figs. l and 3, as the article being cut tends together at the circumference of' the hopper. The cutter-stock has a short vertical arm, e, having a slot, through which a screW-bolt, f, passes to secure it to the end of the operatingarm H, and also to adjust it to allow the cutters always to touch the surface of the block. The end of' the operating-arm H is also provided with a flat branch, g, through the ends of which setscrews h h pass and bear against the cutter-stock G on either side of the clamp-screw f, for the purpose of adjusting the ends of the cutter-stock horizontally to the surface of the cutting-block. This vertical adjustment is of great advantage in keepingI the level of the cutters true with the block. The knives F, or their arms, c, may be slotted to also admit of being adjusted. In Fig. 4 the knife-block is shown partly finished. It consists of a cast-iron Web or grating, O, With an annular outer rim, i, and having its interior divided in one direction by vertical ribs j, and also divided transversely by similar ribs, 7t, Fig. 6, a greater distance apart than the first ones, so as to form a series of cells, l, to receive Wooden blocks, m, of suitable Width, and which project above the ribs j to form the cutting-surface. In the figure a portion of the cells is shown Without the blocks.

tightly-fitting Wooden Wedges n, so as to render the Whole tight and firm and' produce a solid surface. The lower ends of the blocks are supported by projeetions or lugs o at the bottom. of the ribs j and the rim i, and when the casting is filled with these Wooden blocks m and the Wedges n are tightly inserted the top is faced off so as to present a smooth and even tiled surface for the The spaces made by the ribs j be-V tween the blocks above the casting are filled With 4 knives to act upon. A very great advantage derived from this tiled surface is its dui-ability, and it is less liable to be cut inridges than when formed of a single block, and, moreover, avoids warlnn g or unevenness of surface, and swelling` or lateral expansion. The annular rim 1'. of this cellular casting forms a support for the hepper l) outside of the blocks, around which it is fitted. The operating-arm H moves between a fixed guide, J, consisting of two standards secured upon the table so as to embrace the arm H and prevent any lateral motion or twist thereof, or of the cutter-stock, which might otherwise be produced by a resistance on the knife-block greater a-t one end than the other, thcreby insurin g a cutting through the material regardless of any unequal resistance at either end of the knifestock. The devices for impartiug a reciprocating` motion to the knife-stock arm ll, and the intermittently-rotary motion to the knife-block and hopper, consist of a balance or fly-wheel, K, the shaft of which is securcd in a han ger, L, on the under side of the table, and which shaft carries a pinion, M, on its outer end, matchin g with hand-crank cog-wheel N, secured by suitable bearing to the side of the table. The hub of the balance-wheel has an eccentric Wrist-pin, p, to which a pitman-rod, O, is attached, whose upper end is pivoted to the under side of the arm H of the cutter-stock, and thus the motion of the flywheel imparts to the former a vibratory motion. The Wrist-pin p of the fly-wheel also carries a slotted crank, q, shown in Figs. 1 and 2. To this slotted crank q a feed-rod, l), is attached by apin and nut, r, exactly in line with the axis of the fly-wheel, said rod being pivoted to or moving in the lower end of a hanger, Q, beneath the table. The upper end of this feed-rod P is attached to the rear end of a ratchet-pawl, R,shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1, whose front end extends round the side of and takes into the ratchet-wheel E, and in this way the vibrations of the feed-rod P are communicated to the knife-block and hopper. This sl'otted crank q forms a variable feed to the latchet-pawl and knife-block, so that the distance which the knife-block moves at intervals can be regulated as may be desired.

Now, it will be seen that as the slot of crank q coincides with the axis of the fly-wheel K, when, therefore, the middle of the length of the slot of the crank q is set so as to be in line with the axis of the fly-wheel, and thefeed-rod P is attached in the center of the length of said slot, as shown in-Fig. 1, no feed motion whatever will be communicated to the ratchet-pawl by the revolutions of the crank q; but upon adjusting the feed-rod P to either side of the center of the length of said slot a vibratory motion will be communicated to the feed-rod P in proportion to the distance which the point of attachment of the feed-rod will be out of line with the axis of the fiy-wheel, and thus feed the knife-block within its circular bearing a distance equal to the length of the stroke of the ratchet-pawl, which, in the example shown, is arranged to feed upon its back stroke at every revolution of the fly-wheel. An adjustable or variable feed may be thus obtained to suit the fineness of the substance being cut by simply increasing or diminishing` the connection of the feed-nal toward either end of the slot of the era-1 1k q. The feed-rod P, when so adjusted, will necessa-rily have a slight vertical movement, and to accommodate this it is provided with a slot, or may move within the forked end of its hanger Q. A variable feed can be produced in the same manner as above described by simplyT adiusting the crank q of the feed-rod P on its shaft so that the comlecting-pin of said rod will be on either side of the axis of the fly-wheel. The ratehetpawl E may be provided with a keep or guide on its outer side to hold it in close contact with the ratchet-wheel. The table has an opening,I to accommodate the action of the'pitma-n O and feed-rod, and the elcvation of the knives by the action of the pitman must be suflicient to allow them to clear the material when the block is turned. For this purpose the several parts are adjusted so that half a revolution of the fly-wheel will carry the knives to their greatest point of elcvation, while a completion of the revolution will carry the knives to their lowest point of descent and in contact with the surface of the 4 block, at which point of contact the block must be at rest.

It is obvious that the intermittent feed of the cutting-block may be produced by extendingI the arm of the ratchet-pawl further back and attachin g it to a connecting-rod, whose other end may be secured directly to the wrist-pin J) of the Iiywheel. An intermittent and adjustable feed can also be obtained by slotting the pitman, connection being made to feed-rod P at a bearing on the table with the ratchet-Imwl.

Having described my invention, I claim- 1. The intermittently-rotating cutting-block B, centered and held within an annular opening, b, in the table by means of an annular rim, u., and by which the cutting-block and hopper are also rei ldered removable at pleasure, as described.

2. The metallic cellular web G, constructed with interior division-ribsj and an. inclosingI confilling-rim, i, for holding and confinin g a sectional cuttin g-block for meat and vegetable-cutters, as described.

3. A cutting-block for meat and vegetable cutters, made in sections m, seeured in separate 4 cells I, and locked in position by wooden wedgcsV n, as and for the purpose described.

4. The slotted or adjustable crank q, in combination with the feed-rod 1), the ratchet-pawvl R, and the ratchet-wheel E, for producin g an adjustable or variable feed to the cutting-block, as described.

5. In a meat-and-vegetable cutting apparatus, the combination of the cutting-block B, constructed as described, the metallic cellular web (l, the annul ar centering-rim a, the cutter-stock G c, the Vibrating carrying-arm H, and the variable feed devices, the several parts being` constructed, arranged, and operating as described.

MARTIN L. EDVVARDS.

VVitnesses v PETER AMBLER, (li-ms. BooNE. 

